Gmunden

Gmunden is a town in Upper Austria, Austria in the district of Gmunden. It has 13,204 inhabitants (estimates 2016 ).
Geography
Gmunden covers an area of and has a median elevation of . It is situated next to the lake Traunsee on the Traun River and is surrounded by high mountains, including the Traunstein (mountain), the Erlakogel (5150 ft), the Wilder Kogel and the Höllengebirge.
Municipal arrangement
Gmunden is divided into the following boroughs: Gmunden, Gmunden-Ort, Schlagen, Traundorf, Unterm Stein.
Neighboring municipalities
Population
As of 2001, Gmunden had a population of 13,336; Approximately 88.4% were Austrian by nationality, 1.5% are from other European Union states, and 10.2% are other foreigners. Largest non-EU minorities were from Bosnia and Herzegovina (3.6%) and the former FR Yugoslavia (i.e. present-day Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo; 2.7%), followed by Turks (1.2%) and Germans (1.1%).
The majority (69.3%) are Roman Catholic by faith. Evangelicals make up the largest minority at 7.3%, followed by 5.9% Muslims and 3.3% Eastern Orthodox. Approximately 10.3% are irreligious.
History
In 1000 BCE the Illyrians were mining salt here. A settlement was already in existence in the fifth century CE. By 1186 Gmunden was a fortified place surrounded by walls, although it did not receive a church until about 1300. In 1278 Gmunden became a town. On November 14, 1626, an army of rebellious peasants was completely defeated at Gmunden by General Pappenheim, who had been ordered by Maximilian I to suppress the peasant rebellion in Upper Austria.
The dead peasant insurgents were buried in nearby Pinsdorf, where an obelisk styled memorial known as the Bauernhügel in their honour can still be seen.
Gmunden supplied naval ships to Austria during the 17th century and helped wounded soldiers in hospitals in World War I. During World War II, an SS maternity home was located here, "to insure racial purity" in accordance with Nazi racial theories.
In later years, it was much frequented as a health and summer resort, and had a variety of lake, brine, vegetable and pine-cone baths, a hydropathic establishment, inhalation chambers, whey cure, etc. It was also an important centre of the salt industry in Salzkammergut.
Politics
The local council consists of 37 members. In the last municipal election in 2021, the following are seats won by the political parties:
16 ÖVP, 7 GRÜNE, 5 SPÖ, 5 FPÖ und 4 NEOS.
ÖVP: 16 seats
FPÖ: 5 seats
SPÖ: 5 seats
NEOS: 4 seats
Die Grünen: 7 seats
Mayors:
1946–1955: Fritz Eiblhuber
1955–1956: Alfred Klimesch
1956–1973: Karl Piringer
1973–1979: Karl Sandmeier (1917-2000)
1979–1997: Erwin Herrmann
1997–2014: Heinz Köppl
2014– ... Stefan Krapf (ÖVP)
Main sights
There are a great number of excursions and points of interest round Gmunden, notably the Traun Fall, north of Gmunden, a castle called Schloss Ort, and a ceramic factory producing Gmundner Keramik branded pottery. The town hall is also a popular tourist destination.
Education
In Gmunden there are four kindergartens, four elementary schools and three Hauptschulen. The three high schools are BG/BRG Gmunden, BRG Schloss Traunsee, and Gymnasium Ort.
People
Caspar Erasmus Duftschmid, born in Gmunden
Heinrich Schiff, cellist and conductor, born in Gmunden
Duchess Maria Amalia of Württemberg, born in Gmunden; see Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg and Georg, Crown Prince of Saxony
Johannes von Gmunden astronomer and mathematician
Helmut Trawöger (1948-) conductor and flautist, born in Gmunden
Andreas Berger, born in Gmunden
Princess Marie Louise of Hanover, born in Gmunden
Princess Alexandra of Hanover (1882–1963), born at the Schloss Ort, Gmuden
Prince Otto Heinrich of Hanover, born in Gmuden
Levente Szörényi, lead singer of Hungarian rock band Illés, born in Gmunden
Famous residents
Conchita Wurst, drag queen and winner of Eurovision Song Contest 2014
Thomas Bernhard, playwright and novelist
George V of Hanover, exiled here
Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, exiled and died in Gmunden
Princess Thyra of Denmark, lived and died in Gmunden
Princess Marie of Hanover, lived and died in Gmunden
Ludwig Bemelmans, grew up in Gmunden
Gabi Burgstaller, went to high school in Gmunden
Walter Reder, buried in Gmuden
Betty Haag, worked near in Gmunden as a professor
Jory Vinikour, worked as a teacher at the Austrian Baroque Academy of Gmunden
Marie of Saxe-Altenburg, exiled and died in Gmunden
Princess Frederica of Hanover, lived in Gmunden
Frederick Francis IV, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg, married in Gmunden
Christoph Ransmayr, grew up near in Gmunden
Carl Rahl, lived here
Christian Griepenkerl, lived here
John Haswell, worked here
Horaz Krasnopolski, died here
Matthias von Schönerer, worked here
Count Richard Belcredi, died here
Archduchess Margarete Sophie of Austria, died here
Princess Maria Antonia of the Two Sicilies, died here
Prince Ludwig Rudolph of Hanover, died in Gmunden
See also
Gmunden Straßenbahn, the town tramway.
References
External links
Gmunden's official homepage
Schloss Ort Gmunden
Pictures of Gmunden
Cities and towns in Gmunden District
Historic Jewish communities